Monday, February 27, 2012

Yesterday Kai had another soccer "scrimmage". She wasn't really playing much, though. Instead, she kept running around with her arms spread out. Then, she'd run up to one of the kids that was hanging back or doing something unrelated to the game, and she'd reach up to put her arm around the kid's shoulder (Kai frequently does this -- she is often the smallest kid in her social circles, but she has this idea of herself as the biggest kid and the one that everyone else needs for direction/reassurance. So, she'll reach up to other kids in order to (condescendingly) pat them on the back or offer encouragement) and start talking to the kid. Then she'd give the kid a couple of pats on the back (in a "go get em" sort of way) and trot off, arms outstretched.

I had no idea what she was doing. I kept hollering at her to watch the ball, but she had her own agenda in mind. Finally, she ran up to me and said, "they are not spreading out and not passing." The coaches had told them to spread out and pass the ball. I guess it was good that Kai was trying to follow directions -- but she was spending most of her time frustrated that no one else was following directions and not really spending any time paying attention to the game.

Later that day, Kai and I were out running errands and Kai announced from the backseat, "I don't like scrimmaging." I asked her why and she said,

"It's sooo tiring... I have to tell all the other kids what to do all the time," she said in the voice of someone truly weary of her burden.

I told her she didn't need to worry about everyone else so much. She was unconvinced and just gave me the look she's been giving me since long before she could talk -- one of needing to tolerate my ignorance until she is in more of a position to completely ignore my utter stupidity.

3 years old, and she's ready for her coaching position. Nevermind that she doesn't really understand the sport... she's ready to direct!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Kai had her first soccer scrimmage this weekend. She didn't totally understand the concept of scrimmaging. During the game, she ran up to me and asked, "why don't I want the blue guys to get the ball?"

She also wasn't certain which goal was hers. And she didn't like it when the ball got taken away from her (when she walks up to me at the end of this clip, it's to tell me that Diego took the ball from her . Granted, Diego was on her team, so he probably shouldn't have taken the ball away... but, I don't think it was simply a matter of who was on whose team!)

But, overall, she played with a big grin on her face:

At the end of the class, she told me that the scrimmage went on for "too long" (the scrimmage was about 15 minutes long)... how will she feel about the 90 minute games in her future?

I can't believe I have a child old enough to scrimmage. Time sure does fly.